Shawnee

Students across Kansas and Missouri have not been in school since Dec. 21, as road conditions and cold made it too risky to return to classrooms after winter break. They're pitching in to shovel, building snow forts and, in some cases, running out of indoor activities.

Fifteen-year-old Halley Vincent has owned Seven Stories, a bookstore in Shawnee, for almost two years. But after the building was sold to a new owner, Vincent is now trying to raise money to move.

Two tornadoes were confirmed out of Sunday evening’s storm — one in western Shawnee and another around 79th Street and Lamar Avenue. But neither county nor city outdoor warning sirens went off, nor was there any alert issued.

The pressure is mounting on six Kansas City area restaurants, bars and chefs recognized as 2024 James Beard semifinalists. The foundation behind the Oscars of the culinary world will announce this year’s finalists April 3.

Around the Kansas City region, living history museums like Missouri Town and Shawnee Town reveal how people lived in earlier eras, with collections of historic buildings, demonstrations of period crafts, and stories of the people who lived there.

Christina Sanabria didn't think she'd have a career in performing arts. The Johnson County native recently won her second Grammy for children's music as part of the duo 123 Andrés, whose album "We Grow Together Preschool Songs" won Best Children’s Album of the Year.

The Kansas City region is shining bright once again in the national food competition. The Town Company, The Campground, Affäre, Chewology and Westport Cafe have been named among the best restaurants in the country this year.

More than a dozen law enforcement agencies — from Overland Park to Prairie Village — will be encrypting their primary channels so listeners can't hear what police and dispatchers are saying over the air.

Halley Vincent, a freshman at Shawnee Mission North, recently opened Seven Stories book shop with her mom in downtown Shawnee, Kansas. Vincent is now the youngest member of the American Booksellers Association, an organization of independent booksellers.

The council voted unanimously 7-0 to terminate Gerber’s employment with cause. His firing comes after nearly two weeks of controversy for the city sparked by the revelation that someone had sent a sexually explicit video of Gerber to some city staffers, an incident that apparently was not reported to elected city leaders.

Kansas City, Missouri, had several ballot questions to vote on — including a sales tax that could determine the future of the public bus system. Cities across Johnson and Wyandotte county also chose winners in local council, mayor, school board and other consequential races.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7! While Kansas City, Missouri, has no candidates on the ballot, voters will have several important questions to answer. In Johnson and Wyandotte counties, voters will have all kinds of local council, mayor, school board and other races to decide.